A few housekeeping items this week. I am sure they are just partial lists, but the number of properties now listed in the Renewable Energy All Stars section of Green Lodging News now stands at approximately 360. These include properties utilizing either hydro, geothermal, wind or solar technologies. By far solar has the longest list with about 300 properties, 208 of which are in the United States. If you currently have a property with electricity supplied by any of the above renewable technologies and it is not on my list, let me know and I will gladly add it. I...

“It is a done deal.” That’s what American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) President & CEO Chip Rogers told me regarding the formation of a joint venture company that will own and operate the Green Key Global certification program in the United States and Canada. A letter of intent was signed by AHLA and the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) to form the new company. The announcement was made at the Lodging Conference in Phoenix. When I first launched Green Lodging News in 2006, and even before, the question of why there is not one green hotel certification program that...

If there is one thing you would be a fool to pass up as you are upgrading your hotel—making it more energy and water efficient—it is free money. Getting it could be as easy as working with your local utility or the company they have contracted with to run their programs. The hub online for state incentives can be found at https://www.dsireusa.org/. I moused over the U.S. map and California has the most programs with 187. That did not surprise me. I checked my home state of Florida, and it has 105. In the city of Tampa where I...

Hilton was the biggest newsmaker this past week with its announcement that it has expanded an agreement with Tesla that will result in up to 20,000 Tesla Universal Wall Connectors being installed at 2,000 hotels in the U.S., Canada and Mexico beginning in early 2024. Hilton says it is the largest planned EV charging network of any hospitality company. Kudos to Hilton for taking this bold step to significantly expand North America’s EV charging network. It will certainly pay off in many room nights, meals, coffee breaks and it significantly builds Hilton’s green brand reputation. The White House estimates there are...

What grade would you give your hotel(s) when it comes to engaging guests in sustainability efforts? Think about your guests’ entire experience—from the moment they learn about your property, to the point of reservation, check-in, their stay with you, to the moment they check out. Where are there missed opportunities to let your guests know about what you are doing to minimize your property’s environmental impact? Oftentimes, hotels do a lot to reduce their energy and water consumption and reduce waste, but it is back-of-the-house activity. Or maybe it is right in a guest’s face, but they do not know...

It has been years now since mattress makers have been including memory foam in their products. Perhaps you have purchased mattresses for your guests that include memory foam. I have been sleeping on a foam mattress at home for about 10 years. I have been happy with it but yes, it is time to replace it. It is, in fact, losing its memory. This past week I dug into the topic of memory foam a bit and quickly realized you almost need to be a scientist to understand the health and wellness aspects of it. I spoke with Jack Dell’Accio,...

As a homeowner, I do the best I can with preventive maintenance (PM) but sometimes the tasks can get overwhelming. For example, I had some plumbing work done this past week and the plumber looked at my water heater and asked if I flush and drain it at least annually. I was honest and said I had not drained it since we bought our home eight years ago. Arghh. The tank is probably 24 years old and original to our home. Maybe I need some PM software to make sure I don’t miss important tasks? As has been written...

Years ago, early in my career as a journalist, I took a break from work to go mountain climbing in Colorado. It was one of the best things I have ever done but it put me in a very precarious financial position once I returned from my trip. I was essentially “homeless” but was fortunate enough to have a friend willing to take me in until I got back on solid financial footing. As we all know, there are an incredible number of people in our country and on our planet, who are not so lucky. Search on “homeless” on...

I recently returned from a more than two-week vacation to Argentina and Brazil. A highlight of my trip was a visit to Iguazú Falls—the waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of the Argentine province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná. Together, they make up the largest waterfall system in the world. Think Niagara Falls times 10 with much less commercialization. The falls were just beautiful but there were too many people on the trails, and it was a challenge to even take a photo without getting someone else’s Aunt Margaret in it. Overtourism certainly came to...

When temperatures hit record, intolerable levels in your part of the planet, how quickly will tourism dry up? I have been thinking about that this week as record heat waves send temperatures far beyond 100 degrees in many places. It can be unhealthy just to be outside. In Phoenix, there have been 25 heat-associated deaths so far, and 249 are still under investigation. High temperatures are just one of the painful impacts of climate change and the long list of impacts on our industry are many. The temperature trends certainly heighten the importance of reducing our industry’s climate impact—greenhouse...